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News
Minot airport facing more challenges
February 27, 2012 - Minot Daily News, The Jamestown Sun
Can the Minot International Airport handle more daily flights and more passenger boardings? We'll soon find out.
Delta Airlines recently announced that it will have eight daily departures from Minot to Minneapolis during its summer schedule, which runs from June to Labor Day. Delta also announced that beginning March 4, it will bring an Airbus A-319 to Minot, a 126-seat aircraft.
With the additions and changes, Minot will soon have 528 seats available each day on Delta.
But it will be a challenge for the airport to handle even more passengers and traffic daily. With the increases announced by Delta, airport officials are suggesting passengers arrive at the airport even earlier to make sure they have enough time to get through security. The screened passenger waiting area, which has been expanded and renovated in recent years, is still often too small to handle current passenger traffic. The facility's parking lot is already way beyond capacity, with vehicles parked virtually anywhere and everywhere possible in the general vicinity of the terminal building. There's a study in the works to decide if Minot should build a completely new, larger terminal, or add on to the current terminal, and the parking problem won't likely be solved until that decision is made.
While we welcome the opportunity from Delta to better serve Minot and the area, the changes will bring very real challenges to an airport facility and staff already facing significant difficulties associated with booming business.
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Possible New Airport Terminal for Minot
February 14, 2012 - KMOT-TV
More luggage, passengers and planes seems to be a recurring sight at the Minot International Airport. When you take a look at the continuing growth in Minot, the current building is becoming a small fish in a big pond.
"As communities grow, expansion of terminal buildings is pretty common," said Airport Director Andy Solsvig.
The airport has more traffic than ever before. Passenger numbers are taking off faster than airplanes, parking continues to be an issue and with no signs of slowing down, a major move is being considered.
"With passenger activity and aircraft activity it`s likely that an extension or a new building will happen," Solsvig said.
He added that the best option is to build a brand new terminal because of the amount of maintenance that would be required to keep up the current building. He said it could be quite costly. Engineers are conducting a study to find where the best location could be.
"There are a couple options of available land on airport property that we want to take a look at."
Should a new terminal be built, Solsvig said it would offer several options for passengers like more space for passengers, more parking and more flights. "With aircraft size there`s potential for more throughout the day. It brings a lot of opportunity by having a new facility."
The study could take months to complete, but it seems like the possibility for a new terminal is becoming more likely. Airport numbers from January are already on pace to exceed last year`s numbers.
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January Airline Boardings up in North Dakota
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press
Airline boardings at North Dakota's eight large airports in January were up 19 percent over the year.
The data from the state Aeronautics Commission show that the jump was due in large part to booming business at the Dickinson and Williston airports in western North Dakota's oil patch.
Boardings at Dickinson were up nearly 78 percent, and they rose more than 172 percent in Williston.
Minot saw the biggest increase in actual passengers, with more than 5,900 additional boardings over the year.
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New record takes off: Minot airport reports 150,450 total passengers in 2011
January 15, 2012 - Minot Daily News
A record number of passengers flew out of Minot International Airport in 2011, according to year-end statistics.
The 150,450 passengers in 2011 represented nearly a 55 percent increase over the 1992 record of 97,148 passengers. The banner year for the Minot airport finished with December 2011 as its busiest month since air carrier service began in the 1940s.
"We are one of the fastest growing airports in North Dakota," said Andrew Solsvig, airport director at the Minot International Airport, in a prepared statement. "This past year was remarkable and a true sign of the region's booming economy. We are grateful for the continued community support in making the Minot International Airport their airport of choice."
Throughout the state, boarding numbers at the eight largest airports were up 9 percent in 2011 over 2010. The Minot airport reported a 65.7 percent increase over last year, with 150,450 total passengers as compared to 90,823 passengers in 2010.
The Minot Airport has enjoyed 21 straight months of growth, as measured in passengers numbers compared to the same month of the previous year.
In December 2011, 15,661 total passengers boarded an airplane, a 53.9 percent increase over December 2010 when 10,177 passengers flew out of Minot. During December, three airline carriers combined to provide 277 commercial airline departures, totaling 17,970 available seats. This was a 36.5 percent increase over the 203 flights last year and a 48.5 percent increase in the 12,100 available seats in December 2010.
On average, planes that left the Minot Airport were 84.9 percent full in 2011, compared to 73 percent in 2010.
The Minot International Airport currently provides six daily flights to Minneapolis-St. Paul on Delta and three daily flights to Denver on United as well as four weekly flights to Las Vegas and two weekly flights to Phoenix-Mesa, both through Allegiant. The airport also provides service to charter, international and military flights.
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Minot Airport looks to the future
October 30, 2007 - Cheapflights media
Expansion plans for Minot International Airport in North Dakota over the next 20 years are under consideration by the airport committee.
Patrick Dame, Minot International Airport Director, told local news network KFYR TV, that any renovation work undertaken at the facility will be long-term and concentrate on making best use of the land available.
"Right now we do have ample land around our facility. We just need to make sure we have proper protection over that land, and we also got to make sure we have the proper planning for the facility to meet the needs for the next 20 to 50 years."
He also confirmed that the committee has agreed to provide a $500,000 grant to any airlines wishing to open operations at Minot.
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